Riding the Raisina Tiger

Riding the Raisina Tiger - a Politico-military thriller about an Army Chief who decided to take things into his own hands. AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD ON 26 JAN ON OCCASION OF REPUBLIC DAY FROM https://www.amazon.com/Riding-Raisina-Tiger-Story-military-ebook/dp/B01ALCCNSS

Blogitorial

Click to read the article on Swordarm

Custom Search Engine - Scans Selected News Sites

Loading

Saturday, 21 December 2013

In a significant
achievement, the indigenously developed supersonic light combat aircraft (LCA)
Tejas today got an initial operational clearance (IOC) from the authorities
paving the way for the multirole plane to join the fleet of the Indian Air
Force (IAF).

An elated Defence
Minister A K Antony, who was the chief guest at the IOC awarding function held
at the tarmac of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) airport here, said, “It is
a great day for the entire nation”.

Air Chief Marshal
NAK Browne said, “This day marks a historic milestone and signifies India’s
entry into a select group of nations capable of designing their own
state-of-the art fighter aircraft”.

The IOC came in
the form of an oversized certificate containing the reference number of the
“Release to Service Document” of the plane and giving the IAF the go-ahead for
flying the jet. The certificate was handed over to Antony by CEMILAC (Centre
for Military Airworthiness and Certification) chief K Tamilmani. Antony gave it
to the IAF chief who accepted it.

LCAs in use right
now are various kinds of prototypes which are being flown by test pilots of the
National Flight Test Centre here.

While the test
pilots are originally from the IAF, the methodology followed by them is
different from pilots deployed with IAF’s regular squadrons.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131221/main6.htm

2 Army men killed
in Sudan

Tribune News
Service

New Delhi,
December 20

Two Indian Army
soldiers have been killed and another one has been injured after an attack by
armed militia on a UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) camp late
last night. The Indian soldiers were on UN duty.

Both the deceased
belong to Haryana. Subedar Dharmesh Sangwan of 12 Rajputana Rifles and Subedar
Kumar Pal Singh from the Army Medical Corps have died while Naik Sahabul Mandal
of the EME Corps has been injured.

Attackers from the
‘Lou Neur’ ethnic group had targeted 36 civilians of the ‘Dinka’ ethnicity who
had sought refuge at the UN temporary operating base at Akobo.

Sangwan, 33 years
of age, is from Charki Dadri in Bhiwani while Kumar Pal Singh, (46), is from
Sohna, Gurgaon. Mandal is from West Bengal.

The bodies will be
flown to India on December 22 on a UN plane, sources in the Indian Army said
here.

The bodies have
been taken to Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The two had been attached with
the 8th Rajputana Rifles and had been posted to South Sudan in May. At the time
of the attack, 43 Indian peacekeepers, six UN police advisers and two UN
civilian employees were present at the base.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131221/nation.htm#10

Kaveri could power next LCA series: Antony

Tribune News
Service

Bangalore,
December 20

Defence Minister A
K Antony today said the government had not yet given up its plan of powering
the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas with the indigenously made Kaveri engine.

In a press
conference here, which followed a function where LCA powered by American GE 404
engine was given the initial operational clearance (IOC) making it compliant
with the requirements of the IAF for a battle ready aircraft, Antony said, “We
have not abandoned the Kaveri engine project yet.”

The Defence
Minister said while the LCA Mk 1 and Mk 2 varieties would be powered by the
American GE 404 and GE 414 engines, respectively, Kaveri engine could be used
to power the next LCA series.

He said the IAF
would have two squadrons and four squadrons each of LCA Mk 1 and Mk 2,
respectively. There would still be requirement of more planes as the IAF would
eventually require about 200 planes to replace the entire MiG 21 fleet.

Kaveri engine,
being developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lab in Bangalore, was supposed to
power the LCA initially. However, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), also a
DRDO lab handling the LCA project, opted for the American GE engine as wait for
Kaveri engine continued.

Antony, who spoke
at length on the necessity of indigenisation in his speech in the IOC function,
emphasised it once again. He talked about the aircraft carrier being built at
Kochi, the next edition of the Arjun Battle Tank and Astra missiles being
developed locally.

The success of the
LCA project had shown the world that India was capable of making a modern
aircraft, Antony said and added that the success would also give a big boost to
the indigenisation efforts in the country.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131221/nation.htm#11

First pilot of LCA says he feels absolutely
great

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News
Service

Bangalore,
December 20

Captain Rajiv
Kothiyal, now a commercial pilot based in Sri Lanka, had flown the LCA on its
very first flight on January 4, 2001. He was then Wing Commander Rajiv
Kothiyal, an ace IAF test pilot. Through an email, Kothiyal answered some
questions put to him by The Tribune to describe his feelings on the occasion of
LCA becoming a part of IAF fleet.

What is your
feeling now that the LCA has got IOC paving the way for its induction in the
IAF?

I feel absolutely
great! I am extremely humbled to note that our pioneering efforts have resulted
into a key national product - one that we can all be proud of.

Can you describe
the mood of the people, including yourself, when the first flight-test of the
LCA was successful. I believe Lockheed Martin had warned against the
flight-testing of the plane saying there could be a serious accident.

Frankly, very few
outside the original Team LCA believed in our capability to successfully make
the LCA and test fly it. It was indeed a big surprise that we did it and, that
too, in style with absolutely incident-free First Phase of Flight Testing
involved LCA TD1. I was accorded a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly the
first flight. After all how many test pilots the world over get to fly the
first flight of a prototype? The feelings associated with such an occasion are
beyond any words.

Were you nervous
when you flew the LCA for the first time?

Of course I was
nervous. After all one does not test an unknown modern flying prototype
regularly. On top of it, it was the fact that the last aeroplane we had
manufactured and test flown was the HF-24 Marut way back in the 1960s. However,
once I sat in the cockpit of the LCA TD1 and commenced preparation, my entire
attention was devoted to carrying out the defined tasks to ensure success of
the first flight.

Do you think the
time taken by the LCA to get the IOC - almost 13 years since its first flight -
is too long?

Yes, I definitely
think so. However, one has to also factor in the fledgling nature of our
aviation industry. Hopefully, the next fighter aircraft programme will be much
shorter.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131221/nation.htm#12

Army’s field exercise concludes

Our Correspondent

Sriganganagar/Abohar,
December 20

“Shahbaaz Ajay”, exercise of
the 36 Reorganised Army Plains Division (RAPID), concluded in the western
deserts of Rajasthan on Friday.

36 RAPID, a cutting edge
formation of the Bhopal-based Strike Corps, validated new concepts and refined
existing battle procedures as prevalent in the 21st century battlefield milieu.

As many as 15,000 troops of
the division participated in the exercise, which included more than 100
armoured class vehicles among other advanced artillery and air defence
equipment.

A high degree of integration
was achieved with the Indian Air Force while undertaking specialised
operations, which included an air-borne assault and a special helicopter-borne
operation.

Lt General Amit Sharma, Strike
Corps Commander, reviewed the tactical drills and manoeuvre of the division as
per the theatre plans. The concluding phase of the exercise was witnessed by Lt
General Ashok Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Army Commander),
Southern Command, praised the troops for achieving a high degree of operational
efficiency in executing the stated mission.

The idea of an
indigenously designed and built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was first mooted
back in 1983. 30 years on, the fighter is still not part of the Indian Air
Force - but Tejas, as the aircraft is called, took a step closer on Friday with
the second Initial Operational Clearance certificate being handed over in
Bangalore. This, after a flight witnessed by Defence Minister AK Antony and
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne. (See Pictures)

Tejas has had 2450
sorties - including almost 500 this year alone. But this one was special. As
the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas took off from the HAL airport in Bangalore
city, it was making a point - that the aircraft was ready for its second
Initial Operation Clearance. But the delays in the project could not be
ignored.

Mr Antony said,
"During these years, there was many occasions of frustration, setbacks,
all around criticism - 'Why this wasteful project should continue? It won't
succeed. Abandon it - don't waste national money' - Last seven years, I also
had my share of criticism. Now we can declare, we are nearing success. Not 100
per cent, some more."

The Air Chief who
had expressed clear reservations about Tejas at its first operational clearance
flight back in 2011, said he was satisfied now that the aircraft would soon be
ready for induction into the Indian Air Force.

Chief Air Marshal
NAK Browne said, "In 2011 there were a few things we had to do to correct
certain design changes. All that has been done now. Now we are fully satisfied
with the Initial Operation Clearance."

The supersonic
fighter has been described as pilot-friendly. One of the men who had tested the
aircraft during its development, Air Commodore KA Muthana told NDTV, "I am
thrilled. So far we have been the only organisation to fly this lovely machine
and today we are going to dedicate it to the rest of the air warriors in this
country. It's a pleasure to fly."

The final
operational clearance is expected by the end of 2014 and Tejas should be part
of the Air Force by 2015.

The United Nations will mount an operation to
evacuate a besieged Indian Army peacekeeping contingent manning a remote base
after two of them were killed and another seriously injured in trying to
protect civilians from a rival tribe in a South Sudan oil-producing area.

The Indian Army
contingent at the temporary operating base remains under threat and the UN will
try to evacuate them by flying in additional troops even as the United Nations
Security Council will take up the issue of deteriorating security situation in
at least three of the country’s provinces on Friday.

At the time of the
attack, 43 Indian peacekeepers, six UN police advisers and two civilian UN
personnel were at the base, UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a
statement.

“UNMISS is doing everything
possible to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the assault on its base in
Akobo and secure the safety of its personnel who remain there. The mission will
dispatch its aircraft to evacuate UN personnel,’’ added the statement.

The deaths took place in a UN
peacekeeping camp in a state no longer completely controlled by South Sudan’s
military.

The Akobo post manned by 8 Raj
Rifles, around which clashes have been taking place for the last four days, had
given shelter to 10 Dinka tribesmen. Over 200 armed persons from the rival Luo
Nuer tribe attacked the post leading to the deaths of the two Indian Army JCOs
in crossfire.

The camp is located in
Jonglei, whose capital Bor may have fallen to the rebels, suggested government
sources, adding that communication was so difficult that even the authorities
in the national capital of Juba were not sure about the prevailing political
equation.

The sources in Delhi suggested
that the Akobo post had been under threat for the past four days and initial
reports had mentioned the killing of the UN peacekeepers but there was no
mention of their country affiliation.